Hyderabad is getting decked up to host Telangana's first international conference - the 11th World Metropolis Congress. But for a city that aspires to be a world-class metro, the scheme has a few holes, literally.
On Saturday night, it came to the fore with the death of a 65-year-old man, who drowned in a manhole in Himayat Nagar. Hemant Sahay was returning home after Dussehra celebrations at his brother's place when the accident took place. His body was recovered the next morning.
That open manholes are there in the heart of a city is perhaps without precedent. What made it worse was the poor street lighting, which was why Sahay failed to see the manhole.
"Not one, but 20 manholes have been left open on that street for the last few weeks. There are no streetlights,'' said Mr Sahay's son Sunny. His father, he said, died due to the criminal negligence of municipal authorities.
Mr Sahay's brother Piyush Sahay, said there were no signboards or obstructions to warn people either. "We will definitely take action, if the government does not," he said.
Local agree it was a tragedy waiting to happen. Already, the potholes on the city's roads - courtesy the ongoing work for metro rail - have claimed several lives, when cars and scooters have skidded and gone out of control.
Kanakaratnam, president of the Senior Citizens' Association, said it was ironic that the city was gearing up to host an international conference.
"Hyderabad, the politicians say, will be international class, but it is not happening. It is a shame, when some 300 foreigners are in the city. This news is an insult to the image of the city and country,'' he said.
The police have registered a case of suspicious death but citizens are demanding criminal prosecution of civic officials. The Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation has suspended two officials.
G Somesh Kumar, Commissioner, GHMC, said they are taking the accident seriously. "The contractor was executing the project. We still can't say if the engineers were negligent. But we want to send a clear message that such negligence is not acceptable.''
Source: NDTV
